1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a communication adapter device for connecting a facsimile device with a computer or connecting facsimile devices with each other.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the recent years, a facsimile device provided with a digital interface portion conforming to the normal standard such as RS-232C, GP-1B, etc. has been already used practically. Such facsimile device can be connected with various sorts of computers such as personal computer through the interface portion as mentioned above.
In such a way, by connecting the facsimile device and the computer with each other, it may turn out to be possible to perform various processings, such as control of the facsimile device by the computer at the time of transmitting and receiving of messages, management of the facsimile communication state including such items as the past records of correspondence, correspondence fees, etc. The device also allows the taking-in of the image information receieved by the facsimile device into the computer, or transferring of the image information made by the computer by use of the facsimile device to the other facsimile device.
With this in resent years, the ordinary facsimile device has been already widely popularized together with the personal computer. Hereupon, since the ordinary facsimile device is not provided with the digital interface portion as mentioned above, even though both of the personal computer and the ordinary facsimile device are installed on the same place it was impossible to perform a communication between the computer and the facsimile device.
On the other hand, in the recent years, an additionally provided board and its software specially used for performing facsimile communication by use of the personal computer have been already put on the market. When the additionally provided board and the software are set to the personal computer and the operation of the personal computer is started, the personal computer can transmit the image information to the opponent party and receive the image information therefrom.
On this occasion, since the personal computer functions on the condition equal to that of a stand-alone facsimile device, exchanging of the image information or the like between the personal computer and the ordinary facsimile device, both of which have already been installed on the same place.
And further, in general, the personal computer is often used for various purposes at the same time. When the personal computer receives the image information from the other facsimile device, the personal computer is practicing other processing in many cases. Usually, the personal computer does not have a processing ability for performing the facsimile communication and the other processing at the same time as a multiple job. Therefore, in the case of receiving the signal (image information) as mentioned above, the image information cannot be received, if the processing under execution is not interrupted for a while. This is an inconvenience of the prior art device.
As mentioned heretofore, conventionally, the computer could not freely make a mutual correspondence of the image information between the computer and the ordinary facsimile device installed at the same place as that of the computer or between the computer and the other facsimile device connected with the public telephone circuit network, and the same could not administrate the correspondence state of the ordinary facsimile device. The above-mentioned matters were remaining as the problems to be solved.